Zach and Grace
by Mariskahargibenson
Summary: Olivia decides she's tired of hiding her home life from her partner. One shot, Nick and Olivia friendship only :)


**Just a short one shot. I'm not sure where the idea came from, but I went with it. My laptop is missing the keys C, D & F so if there are any horrific mistakes let me know and I'll fix them.**

 **I own nothing but Zach and Grace (sadly) Please leave a review and let me know what you think, your thoughts are greatly appreciated :)**

~X~

Olivia took a deep breath as she sat in Nick's car outside her apartment building. She knew that her partner was waiting for her to make a move before he did, but she wasn't sure how ready she was to reveal this part of her life to him. She wasn't sure she'd ever be ready, but after her close call with a knife-loving psychopath, she figured she had waited long enough. He had done nothing but prove his loyalty to her over the last two years and she knew he deserved the same from her.

"Let's go up before one of my neighbours freaks and calls the cops." Olivia said finally.

The walk to her apartment was silent, Nick trying to guess what big news she had to share and Olivia fretting over the different ways the situation could end.

When they reached her apartment, Olivia unlocked the door quietly and motioned to Nick to stay quiet. Once inside, she shut the door almost silently before she walked further inside.

"I'm home!" Olivia called, focusing her attention towards the bedroom door.

"Mama's home!"

An excited screech came from the bedroom seconds before two small children were sprinting towards Olivia. She squatted down just in time to catch the pair as they threw their arms around her neck while she hugged them back.

"Did you guys have a good day?" Olivia asked, kissing each of their foreheads.

The two children rambled over the top of each other, both desperate to tell her about their day. When they finished talking, they simultaneously looked at Nick who was standing back, observing the scene with a warm smile.

"Mama, who is that?"

Olivia turned to look at Nick, one arm around her son while the other held her daughter. "You guys know that I'm a police officer? I catch bad guys at work? This is my partner, Nick. He helps me catch them." Olivia explained simply. "Can you two say hi?"

The two smiled shyly and greeted Nick as he squatted to their level to make himself look less intimidating. "Hi, guys, what're your names?"

"Zach." The boy answered excitedly. He held out five fingers to Nick. "I'm this many."

"Five, that's a big boy, do you take care of your mom and your sister?"

"I'm sure you do." Nick turned to Olivia's daughter who was hiding behind her mother's hair. "What about you sweetie, what's your name?"

"Grace." The little girl mumbled, winding her hands through Olivia's long hair.

"And how many are you, Grace?"

Grace held out four fingers and then dared a glance at Nick from behind Olivia.

"What do you guys say I order that pizza your mommy was talking about earlier on, and you can show me your favourite movie?" Nick smiled.

Olivia stood when both of her children jumped up in excitement and ran off to pick a movie. She finally turned to where her babysitter was standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Thank you for staying a little longer today, Leah. I'm off work tomorrow so you can finally have a day off. Oh, and here's an extra twenty for the clothes you had to buy Grace yesterday.

"Keep your money, Olivia. She threw up, it's not like you planned for it." Leah smiled kindly. "The kids were both great today, I picked them up from school and they had made some pictures, they're in the kitchen."

"Thank you."

"It's no problem. I like my work." Leah replied. "I'll see you the day after tomorrow."

Olivia closed the door behind the young woman and then turned to Nick. "You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to." Nick shrugged. "I like pizza, you told me you were craving Pizza, and by that reaction, I'm gonna guess your kids like it too."

"You're not mad I didn't tell you about them before?"

"I'm sure you had your reasons, good ones. So I won't question them. And I won't say anything to anyone either."

"Thank you." Olivia nodded as she ordered the pizza online.

"Forgive me for asking, but their father..."

Olivia put the laptop on the coffee table and sighed. "I had Zach after a one night stand. Grace's father was happy to take Zach as part of the package, but he freaked out and ran when I fell pregnant with Grace."

"You're doing a good job on your own though. They're obviously both happy and healthy, and they have good manners. They're so like you. They're two mini versions of you, they move like you, talk like you too. If they keep going the way they are, they're gonna be amazing people when they grow up."

Olivia felt tears sting her eyes. It was a sensitive subject. Since her own childhood was far from great, she had always tried to better for her own children. When she had found out she was pregnant the first time, and would be a single mother, she had been terrified. To hear someone tell her that she was doing a good job made her heart swell with relief and pride.

"Thank you." Olivia beamed, quickly wiping away her tears as Zach and Grace returned waving a copy of _The Jungle Book_ at her.

Half an hour later, the four were settled on the couch with their pizza, Grace was curled up against Olivia while Zach sat beside Nick, seemingly drawn to him despite his favourite movie on TV. Before the pizza had arrived, Zach had grilled Nick on what it was like to be a cop, despite asking Olivia the same question almost every day.

Olivia rested her head against the cushion behind her and sighed. For that moment, there was no evil in the world, her slightly dysfunctional family - along with her partner - were sealed in a bubble, locked away from the heartbreaking scenes and despicable people she and Nick saw almost daily. She wouldn't mind if it could stay like this for a while.

 **Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think :)**


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